4 Weeks Back Home

We’ve already been back home for a month. When we left the Keys we set a goal of having our house listed by April 1st but we’re not quite there yet. May 1st is probably more realistic especially since we’re heading to Chapel Hill next weekend. Between work and bad weather we haven’t been able to finish cleaning up the yard from the winter & I don’t think we should list it until that’s done along with a few inside tasks. We’re getting there little by little. If I could pick my ideal time to leave here it would be October but that’s not the best time to head to the Keys looking for a rental – they’ll all be gobbled up by snowbirds by then.

I’d like to stay here through the end of June.  In the meantime, we’ll definitely be making the most of our remaining time here!

The things I’ve enjoyed the most since coming home are exactly the things I talked about missing all winter. There haven’t been any surprises there.

What’s great:

• Seeing friends & family has been the best part about being back.
• Running & walking without fear of cars – in the Keys there’s no other choice but to walk on the road, here I have the beach and the park.
• The beach – not that we’ve been able to sit on the beach, it’s been too cold, but it has been nice to walk the dogs & go running down there.
• The park – you all know I love this park! I’ve talked about it a lot on the blog. I’ve been going as much as possible since we’ve been back. Check out this beautiful picture I took a couple of weeks ago on my iPhone. It was dusk and the water throughout the park looked just like this.

• The community – we know everyone here but that’s not surprising since we’ve lived here for 11 years. Our neighborhood is one of those where everyone knows each other and it’s been nice being back.
• Great beer – there’s a brewery a block from our house. Good beer is easy to find all over this area. I can’t wait for the craft beer/food truck movement to reach the Keys.
• My new yoga studio – this was unexpected! It opened while we were in Florida. I love hot yoga and this studio has the most challenging classes I’ve ever been to.
• The food – we’ve been eating all of our favorites! The food truck at our neighborhood brewery last night was making better food than we found in the Keys. Come on Keys, you can do better!

What I miss in the Keys:

• Being outside all the time! I’ve been stuck inside more the past 4 weeks than I was the whole winter in the Keys which just solidifies our decision to leave. It “feels like 37” here right now and the wind is gusting.  I can’t wait to go to hot yoga later just to warm up and thaw out.
• Sunsets! There’s nothing like a Keys sunset. I looked at the weather there yesterday and it was 88 and sunny, we definitely would have gone to Bayside to watch the sunset from their dock.
• Diving – the water is back up near 80 & the air temps near 90 – perfect 🙂
• Paddling in the mangroves.
• Lunchtime swimming breaks in an outdoor pool bordered by palm trees.
• Warm early morning & late night walks.
• The beautiful turquoise water – I especially miss the gorgeous views from the bridges traveling south through Islamorada.

I really just miss being outside all the time & how everything there revolves around the water.

Enjoy your Sunday whatever you do!

Until next time …

Warm thoughts to all!